Bethesda’s critically acclaimed title ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ (-8%) holds on to No1 and in doing so breaks EA & Activision’s 8 year stranglehold on the top of the Christmas Chart which started with EA’s ‘Medal of Honor: Rising Sun’ back in week 51 2003.

The last non-EA or Activision published title to be crowned Christmas No1 was Rockstar/Take 2’s ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’ in week 51 2002. Christmas is still a week away, but the Christmas Chart has always been the last published chart before Christmas and this year the day itself falls on a Sunday. The still heavily price promoted Skyrim sells almost 15,000 units more than No2, however the gap between ‘Just Dance 3’ (+11%) at No2 and ‘Modern Warfare 3’ (+2%) at No3 is extremely close. It’s Ubisoft’s highest Christmas chart position since the original ‘Assassin’s Creed’ reached No2 back in week 51 2007.

EA have to settle for No4 as ‘FIFA 12’ (+13%) can’t match the Christmas chart performance of previous games in the series – No2 in 2010 and 2009 (behind COD) and No1 in 2008. It’s not just Bethesda who benefit from strong price promotions this week as reductions on ‘Saints Row: The Third’ (+85%) help push THQ up from No8 to No5. EA’s ‘Battlefield 3’ stays at No6 despite a strong jump of 55% in sales (boosted by price and new DLC). Ubisoft have 2 titles in the Christmas Top 10 with ‘Assassin’s Creed: Revelations’ (+21%) down 2 places to No7, however EA have 3 thanks to good performance from ‘Need for Speed: The Run’ (+51%), climbing 4 places from No13 to No9. Sega finish ahead of Nintendo as ‘Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games’ (+31%) moves up 3 places to No8 and ‘Professor Layton and the Spectre’s Call’ (-8%) slips 3 places down from No7 to No10.